9of9Split Stance with Med Ball, Step 3: Then slam ball on the outside of front leg. Switch legs and repeat. Do three sets of 10-12 reps on each side.Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

You might say Maddy Falivene tumbled into fitness.

The 28-year-old started in competitive gymnastics at age 6, then jumped into cheerleading at age 10. She was even a professional cheerleader for the New England Patriots.

Today, Falivene, who has a graduate degree in clinical nutrition from Tufts University in Massachusetts, is a spin instructor at Ride Indoor Cycling in the Heights. She has also worked as a dietitian at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Browse through the slideshow above to learn how to get your legs and glutes in top shape for summer.

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The Houston native covers fashion, beauty and fitness, as well as other lifestyle topics. Joy has interviewed countless fashion designers and stylish celebrities, including Houston's own Beyonce, the late Oscar de la Renta, and more. She also writes about children's books and is the author of "Ava and the Prince: The Adventures of Two Rescue Pups," a picture book about her own rescue boxer dogs.

Joy started Year Of Joy, a nonprofit organization, to spread joy to children from underserved communities. In 2017, Joy was honored with the Houston Humanitarian award for her community involvement. Also, former competitive ice skater, Joy became Houston's first African American figure skating coach while in college.

She currently serves as vice president of the Houston Association of Black Journalists.